Man critically hurt, 5 firefighters injured following overnight fire in Astoria, Queens
NEW YORK -- An overnight fire in Queens left a man in his 70s critically hurt and several firefighters injured.
Officials said the three-alarm fire broke out just after 1 a.m. at the corner of 23rd Avenue and 24th Street in Astoria.
Dozens of firefighters responded to bring the flames under control.
Officials said the man in his 70s was found inside the home and taken to Mount Sinai in critical condition. Five firefighters were also hospitalized with unknown injuries.
One neighbor said he was in his office when he smelled the smoke all the way down the block. Once he saw the house on fire, he quickly dialed 911.
"I thought my house was on fire. So I went downstairs to investigate, I went to the alleyway and I could see flames flickering in the distance. So I walk down here, and there was just flames shooting out the back windows," Ray Keilman said. "It was dead silent, there was nobody around. Nobody else had any idea this was happening."
Another neighbor said the man found inside has lived on the first floor for more than 30 years and he's known for being a friendly, family man.
"Great guy, great guy. You can ask all the neighbors here, be the same thing what I said," said Vojko Turkovic. "Emotional, because it's when you know somebody 30 years, you know you feel kind of bad. It's terrible, things happen, I hope he's going to be very well."
The man has not yet been identified by officials, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.